BUFFALO SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCES 293 



OTHER DEPARTMENTS. Coins, 2000; Stamps, 2794; War enve- 

 lopes, 696. 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. The Fairbanks Museum originated in 

 natural history collections gathered during many years by Col. Frank- 

 lin Fairbanks, who erected the building in 1890-91 and endowed the 

 museum with a sum sufficient for its maintenance. 



FINANCIAL SUPPORT. The sole support of the museum is the in- 

 come from endowment. 



BUILDING. The building is of red sandstone with granite trim- 

 mings, and provides 9604 square feet of floor space for exhibition, and 

 1744 for offices, workrooms, etc. 



ADMINISTRATION. By a board of five t-ustees. 



SCOPE. Public school work, local collections, and instruction of 

 the general public. About 200 lectures a year are given to classes from 

 the public schools. Spring bird walks are conducted for classes of 

 children, exhibits are loaned to the schools, and an annual prize bird 

 contest is held. From April to October a flower table is maintained in 

 the museum on which are exhibited specimens of all wild flowers from 

 the vicinity. Occasional free public lectures are given by the members 

 of the staff or by outside lecturers. Weekly articles on the work of the 

 museum are published in the local newspapers. Special attention is 

 given to local collections of plants, woods, minerals, insects, historical 

 articles, and old china. 



LIBRARY. 835 volumes on science for the use of both staff and 

 public. Books are loaned for circulation outside the library. 



PUBLICATIONS, (i) Outline course in nature study for the schools 

 of Vermont, 1908. (2) Outline for the study of bird life, 1905. (3) 

 Bird migration lists, 1907. 



ATTENDANCE. Open free to the public on week-days from 9 to 

 12 and i to 5 and on Sundays from 2.30 to 5. Estimated attendance, 

 35,000 per year. 



ST. JOHNSBURY ATHENAEUM. 



This institution includes a public library, art gallery, lecture hall, 

 and reading room, and is maintained by the income from endowment 

 provided by the founder and his wife. The athenaeum was founded 

 in 1870 by Horace Fairbanks, and the building was erected, equipped, 

 and presented to the town by him in 1871. The art collection includes 

 about 60 works of art painting, marble, and bronze and is open free 

 to the public from 9 to 9, Wednesday evenings excepted. The princi- 

 pal painting is Bierstadt's masterpiece, "The Domes of the Yosemite." 



